Learn About the Sizes of Knitting Needles and What They Mean (2024)

FAQs

What do different size knitting needles mean? ›

Generally speaking, heavier yarn will require wider needles. Lace weight yarns will usually need needles between 1.5 and 2.5mm in diameter, worsted or middle-weight yarns will need needles between 3mm and 5.5mm, and chunky yarns will usually need 5mm to 8mm sized needles and larger.

The weight of your yarn is the most important factor when it comes to choosing the right size knitting needle or crochet hook. In general, a basic rule of thumb is: the finer the yarn, the smaller the needle. Most patterns will specify the yarn that they used to make the project.

In the US, needle sizes start at 0 and increase to 50. However, in the UK, sizes start at 14 and go up to 000. In Japan, knitting needles use different standard metric sizes, starting at 2.1 mm and going up to 25 mm.

Medium sizes are generally the best for beginners. This means you should look for a width size of six (4mm), seven (4.5mm), or eight (5mm). For length, a 10-inch needle is usually a good starter size because they'll be small enough to handle easily.

The European metric sizing system for sewing machine needles is numbered from 60 to 110. The American sizing system is numbered from 8 to 18. For both sizing systems, the lower the number the finer the needle and the higher the number the larger the needle. Most needle companies show both sizes on the package.

Size 11 US (8mm) or Larger. Larger needles are usually best for beginning knitters. I personally like size 11 US and bigger for beginner knitting projects. There are 4 different systems for labeling Knitting Needle Size: Metric, US, UK, and Japanese.

The larger the needle size: the smaller the actual size of the needle will be. (So a size 24 Tapestry needle is smaller than the size 22 and the 24 Tapestry is larger than a size 26.)

Does the size of needles matter while knitting? ›

Why does needle size matter? Although yarn manufacturers give you a recommended needle size for every yarn, this isn't set in stone. Using a larger needle size than suggested will give you looser, more open stitches, as well as making your finished piece larger.

Longer needles can also increase the chances of bruising, bleeding and pain. Short needles, being 4mm and 5mm pen needles, reduce the risk of injecting medication into your muscle.

Bigger needles make bigger stitches, which means you produce more surface area quicker - this is helpful to know if you want to knit something up quickly, like a scarf. As long as you don't mind quite open, loose stitches you could make a big scarf quickly using bigger needles than the yarn recommends.

The short grey needle is used in medical practice for subcutaneous injection. The 27G (½ inch) needle is a short, fine needle used for injecting into the superficial veins of the arms, hands, feet and lower leg.

She is the inspiration for the ChiaoGoo brand name, which means “highly skillful and crafty lady”.

Crochet uses a single hook to hook the loops together directly on the piece. It is this major difference that makes crochet much easier to work with than knitting. For beginners who seek convenience and versatility, we suggest crochet. The tools and techniques are minimized, and, therefore, slightly more accessible.

Get cheap single-pointed bamboo needles in US size 8 or 9 (~5mm) for bulky yarn. It will be a great starting point. After you finished your first work, you can come back to this guide and make a more elaborate decision.

80/12 needles are appropriate to sew lightweight fabrics like lawn, faille, and georgette. Think lightweight flowy fabrics for dresses and blouses. 90/14 needles are great when you are starting to sew medium weight fabrics like poplin, broadcloth and muslin. Think printed quilting cotton.

21 Gauge Needles

21g needles are the most common gauge of needles used for routine blood draws and venipuncture. The gauge is small enough in which it does not cause any significant pain or discomfort during use.

What size needle hurts the least? ›

Results: Twenty-one participants verbally reported the thinnest needle (27 gauge (G)) as least painful, compared to the intermediate (23 gauge; p = 0.013) and the thickest needle (21 gauge, p = 0.004).

The needle's width, known technically as the gauge, has a lot do with how uncomfortable it feels when it pierces your skin. Not surprisingly, the narrower the needle (which, ironically, means it has a larger gauge number), the less it hurts.

Easy to use and individually packed, these 18G x 1.5inch Pink Hypodermic needles are used to extract fluids from the body. Other Grades available. They have thin walls for optimal flow, and fit syringes connected to a Luer adapter for Luer lock connector.

23G hypodermic needles and steel adapters are commonly used with tubings to inject or extract liquid samples. They are described by gauge numbers indicating outer diameters (OD). Among those values, the 23-gauge (23G) is a standard in both Medical and Microfluidic fields.

The main use for the blue 23G 25mm (1inch) needle is the injection of anabolic steroids in to muscles. The larger gauge of the 23G needle allows for oil-based steroids to flow freely. Some illicit drug users who inject in the femoral vein also use the blue 23G 1 inch needle.

Large needle sizes – 100/16 and 120/18 – These are for heavyweight, tough fabrics, like thick leather, heavyweight canvas, and dense upholstery fabrics. They are used with heavyweight threads such as upholstery and topstitching threads.

Needle gauge (G)

The higher the gauge, the thinner the needle. For example, 32G is thinner than a 31G needle.

These are regular-walled medical point needles. They are for intramuscular, subcutaneous, and other injections and are available in a wide range of gauges and lengths. They have an oversized chrome plated luer lock hub.

Subcutaneous (Subcut) injections

Inject at a 45-degree angle into fatty tissue overlying the triceps muscle — a 5/8" needle, 23–25 gauge is recommended.

What is 25 gauge needle used for? ›

For example, 25G ½ refers to a 25 gauge, ½ inch-long needle. Longer needles (½ inch or longer) are commonly used for intramuscular injections, while shorter (shorter than ½ inch) needles are more often used for intravenous injections.

Factors Affecting Pain from Needle Insertion

For example, insertion of a 27- or 28-gauge needle (Figure 1b) had an approximately 50% chance of being reported as painful, which was significantly greater than insertion of a 31-gauge needle (Figure 1c), which had a 39% chance of causing pain.

Signs Your Needle is Too Large:

Skipped stitches – thread is uncontrolled, making consistent loop formation difficult. Fabric Damage – larger than necessary holes in the stitch line, leading to, Seam Pucker – fabric deformed along seam line, can result in seam leakage with some sewn products.

Using the wrong needle for your machine, fabric, or thread can result in a substantial amount of damage. Using the wrong needle can damage your machine's timing, your fabric, shred the thread, and destroy your bobbin hook.

Adults, 19 years and older

Most adolescents and adults will require a 1- to 1.5-inch (25–38 mm) needle to ensure intramuscular administration.

Quilting Machine quilting 75/11 and 90/14 Quilting needles feature a sharp, tapered point and are designed to stitch through thick layers and intersecting seams. Use them for piecing quilts and machine quilting the layers together.

They are for intramuscular, subcutaneous, and other injections and are available in a wide range of gauges and lengths. They have an oversized chrome plated luer lock hub. These needles are supplied non-sterile and are autoclavable.

Schmetz Universal Needles ~ Size 75/11. Standard size for sewing and quilt piecing, especially for finer woven fabrics. Fits the Singer Featherweight 221 and 222K perfectly. The slightly rounded point allows for trouble free sewing on numerous types of materials including both knits and woven fabrics.

If you are a tight knitter, use bigger needles (size 17) or if you are a loose knitter, use smaller needles (size 15). Use whatever size needle it takes so that you make a scarf that is 4 inches to 4.5 inches wide (not wider). You can also adjust the number of stitches to keep your scarf within this size range.

What needle is best for thick lines? ›

For thicker lines/shading/colourpacking, one would use a larger needle grouping like an 11, 13 or even 23 magnum. The last letters in the code refer to the way that the needles are arranged or grouped. In the example, RL refers to round liner.

Thirty-gauge needles are commonly used for injections of soluble agents because the smaller gauge causes less pain and tissue trauma. Recently, patients with diabetes have been using 31-gauge needles for insulin injections and blood glucose testing.

The higher the number, the finer or thinner the needle. For example, a 30-gauge needle is smaller than a 27-gauge needle. Length: How long the needle is. This is measured in inches.

16 Gauge: This size is mostly used in the ICU or surgery areas. This large size enables many different procedures to be performed, such as blood administration, rapid fluid administration, and so forth.

Gauge: The diameter, or thickness, of the needle. The higher the number, the finer or thinner the needle.

IV needles are sized by gauges, and the smaller the gauge number, the bigger the needle will be.

90/14 needles are great when you are starting to sew medium weight fabrics like poplin, broadcloth and muslin. Think printed quilting cotton. These three sizes come standard in a pack of Schmetz universal needles, which is a great pack to get you started.

21 Gauge Needles

21g needles are the most common gauge of needles used for routine blood draws and venipuncture.

Many dentists prefer using smaller gauge (27- or 30-gauge) needles for anesthesia injection, believing that needles with a smaller diameter result in less injection pain than wider diameter needles.

What is a 24 gauge needle used for? ›

These are regular-walled medical point needles. They are for intramuscular, subcutaneous, and other injections and are available in a wide range of gauges and lengths.

💉24 GAUGE: The 24 gauge needle is used for administering fluids during surgery and trauma among children. Insertion is less painful due to its small size and is incredibly difficult to insert into tough skin.

For example, 25G ½ refers to a 25 gauge, ½ inch-long needle. Longer needles (½ inch or longer) are commonly used for intramuscular injections, while shorter (shorter than ½ inch) needles are more often used for intravenous injections.

Healthcare professionals often use 22-gauge needles for routine blood collection and short-term IV injection or therapy. While it's a thinner needle than the 21-gauge one, it's still strong enough to be used for intramuscular injections as long as the length used is longer than ½ inch.